Biophilic Sound:
Helen Anahita Wilson
October 13–17, 2025
Composing with Plants
Biophilia: the innate human tendency to seek connections with nature and other living things
The Basics
- Five nights accommodation in Cornwall
- Four full days of teaching, workshops, discussions and activities
- All inclusive - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks
- All dietary requirements catered for
The Highlights
- Work closely with experienced composer and sound artist Helen Anahita Wilson
- Explore biophilic sound and plant-derived music through hands-on practice
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Develop your own solo work and collaborate on new group compositions
- Optional outings to walk, swim, and explore the Cornish coastline
How might we compose with the living world rather than about it?
Can composition become a form of listening, not just expression?
How do we enter into dialogue with the living world through sound?
Join composer and interdisciplinary researcher Helen Anahita Wilson for a week-long exploration of biophilic sound and plant-derived music. Set within a private woodland on the Cornish coast, complete with a stream and ancient fogou, this immersive residency invites participants to engage with the natural world through composition. We will work with plant biodata and botanical information to generate sound, and explore the principles of biophilia and biomimicry in creative practice.
Throughout the week, we’ll forage for biodata and plant materials to use in the creation of new sounds, methods, and performance possibilities. Helen will guide us through the fundamentals of bioelectricity and biodata, transcribing natural rhythms and structures in music, adopting a biophilic ethos in creative practice, and exploring improvisation as biophilic response.
This workshop is suitable for acoustic and electronic musicians, composers, sound artists, designers, and improvisers.
The residency offers time for both solo experimentation and collaborative work, culminating in a shared group performance and the creation of new original works. Participants are encouraged to bring their own instruments or sound sources (compact and portable), and Helen will provide devices for environmental monitoring, biodata collection, and recording.
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Can composition become a form of listening, not just expression?
How do we enter into dialogue with the living world through sound?
Join composer and interdisciplinary researcher Helen Anahita Wilson for a week-long exploration of biophilic sound and plant-derived music. Set within a private woodland on the Cornish coast, complete with a stream and ancient fogou, this immersive residency invites participants to engage with the natural world through composition. We will work with plant biodata and botanical information to generate sound, and explore the principles of biophilia and biomimicry in creative practice.
Throughout the week, we’ll forage for biodata and plant materials to use in the creation of new sounds, methods, and performance possibilities. Helen will guide us through the fundamentals of bioelectricity and biodata, transcribing natural rhythms and structures in music, adopting a biophilic ethos in creative practice, and exploring improvisation as biophilic response.
This workshop is suitable for acoustic and electronic musicians, composers, sound artists, designers, and improvisers.
The residency offers time for both solo experimentation and collaborative work, culminating in a shared group performance and the creation of new original works. Participants are encouraged to bring their own instruments or sound sources (compact and portable), and Helen will provide devices for environmental monitoring, biodata collection, and recording.
Helen Anahita Wilson is an award-winning composer, sound artist, and post-doctoral researcher at SOAS University of London. Her work often explores the emerging field of biophilic music: sound and composition practices that engage directly with the living world. Drawing on plant biodata, bioelectric readings, natural structures, and botanical research, Helen’s work investigates how we might compose with and from nature, involving biomimicry and sonic interpretation. As the inaugural composer-in-residence at the Chelsea Physic Garden, Helen has developed plant-derived compositions which have featured across the BBC and her sound-based research has been recognised by the World Health Organization, United Nations, and New Scientist. Her installations and performances combine scientific and sensory approaches, using improvisation, biosignal translation, and listening techniques as tools for relational creation. Helen is a recipient of the Oram Award for innovation in sound, music, and related technologies. She has performed at venues and festivals including hcmf//, CTM Festival, Cafe OTO, IKLECTIK, Kings Place, and the Southbank Centre.
︎︎︎ helenanahitawilson.com
︎ helen_anahita_wilson
Room types
This residency takes place in Lamorna, West Penwith.
Grants
We have two grants designed to assist those who may need financial support to attend. One grant is available to Cornwall residents, and the other is open to anyone else.
To apply for a free place, first make sure you are following Dyski on Instagram and/or subscribe to our mailing list. Then, email us with a short statement (no more than 300 words) explaining why you would like to attend. Please include how taking part in the workshop will benefit you personally and what you hope to gain from the experience.
︎︎︎ EMAIL US to apply
GRANT DEADLINE September 1st, 2025.
Dyski
Pronounced [dɪski], a Cornish Verb which means to learn, or to teach.
Creative residential workshops in Cornwall with a focus on immersive, experimental & place-based learning.
Pronounced [dɪski], a Cornish Verb which means to learn, or to teach.
Creative residential workshops in Cornwall with a focus on immersive, experimental & place-based learning.
Grants
We offer cutting-edge immersive workshops that nurture creativity, emphasising community support and giving back. Each Dyski workshop includes two grants, designed to assist those who may need financial support to attend. One grant is available to Cornwall residents, and the other is open to anyone else.
We offer cutting-edge immersive workshops that nurture creativity, emphasising community support and giving back. Each Dyski workshop includes two grants, designed to assist those who may need financial support to attend. One grant is available to Cornwall residents, and the other is open to anyone else.